Bella's Facade
by Mrs Ronald Weasley
Summary: Set in the future, but Bella's still human. She's a teacher at a private high school and finds herself being sexually harassed by a student. Edward/Bella and Edward/Bella/Carlisle friendship


**Bella's Facade**

Author: Mrs. Ronald Weasley

Rating: PG-13 or T

Pairing/s: Edward/Bella, Edward/Bella/Carlisle friendship

Warnings: Some strong language.

Spoilers: Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse

Category: Drama/Angst

Summary: Set in the future, but Bella's still human. She's a teacher at a private high school and finds herself being sexually harassed by a student.

A/N: Please note that I don't know much about Education in the US because I live in Canada; please forgive me if I got a few things wrong.

There were days I hated teaching. They didn't happen often, thankfully. I made the resolution that I was going to deal with this myself and to not involve Edward or anyone else.

After Edward and I graduated Teacher's College, I was offered a job teaching English and History at a small private school. Edward took a position at the same school, as a Science professor.

* * *

"Preparations for the exam will begin after the holidays," I said, setting my chalk down on the ledge of the blackboard. My grade 10's groaned in unison. I dismissed the class shortly after that, though I didn't want to.

After my grade 10's was my grade 12 English class. And that was the class that my tormentor was in.

Not that he ever did anything that was awful, in small doses, but he worried me. I often thought that it was quite unreasonable to be afraid of someone five years younger when I'd faced blood thirsty vampires and was brought to my near death more than once.

That dichotomy was just one of the reasons I continued to justify not telling Edward about my student, for fear the he would turn on his not-so-subtle intimidation methods. Or worse, send Emmett in to injure him so that he would end up in the hospital under Carlisle's not-so-tender mercies. Any other time, I'd allow it, but this time around I was afraid it wouldn't do any good and engender some sort of negative consequences toward me.

With these thoughts, I kept my mouth shut.

* * *

_If I can make it to the end of June, I'll be fine._

I kept telling myself that and it had yet to work. I was short-tempered with Edward and my family and my worry had driven my sex drive down to nothing. I often wondered how I'd hide what was happening from them since it was obvious now that I couldn't. They'd not yet figured it out, even Alice, if they had, my student would not longer be a problem. But Edward didn't ask why I no longer wanted to walk the halls alone, or why I would take my lunch to my office to eat when he wasn't available.

Things had gotten worse in the last two weeks and it was only mid-May. Just last week he'd cornered me in a classroom.

I shuttered and sank deeper into the warm bath at the memory. I couldn't scrub enough to remove the sensation of his fingers on my cheek. I couldn't drown his words: _whore, slag, bitch, _with anything but time. Edward had not yet asked what was wrong, but I saw it in his eyes each time I ran into his arms.

There were not things that drove me to tears. I knew I was running out of time to tell him what was wrong.

* * *

_The exams are almost here, then I'm free._

My tormentor had become bold. He'd taken to leaving notes attached to his homework, notes furtively left on my desk after class, and letters sent by mail directly my office. I'd destroyed them all so far, but I worried incessantly that one had slipped past. It wouldn't do for Edward to find one.

Carlisle had already dragged me to the hospital one Saturday morning and checked me over, surprised when he found no sign of illness. He berated me for not eating and I sheepishly admitted that I'd only been picking at my meals, which was obvious because I was ten pounds lighter than I'd been a year ago.

Edward had taken to subtly interrogating me with such persistence I told him I'd send Emmett after his CD collection next time he started questioning me. The threat had worked so far, but I didn't put it past him to test my will.

I clutched my knees more tightly, trying to myself smaller on the window seat. In the distance I could see two figures out in the distance between the trees. Edward and Carlisle were returning from hunting.

Sighing heavily, I shifted on the seat. I knew I should have stood up the student before now, or should have told someone. However, I wanted to handle it myself, and not run to my family with every problem. It's something I should be able to do. After all, I'd faced a vicious vampire bent on revenge and survived. _But that was only because Edward and Seth were there, if they weren't, you'd be dead by now_, a voice inside my head reminded me.

Lost in my thoughts, I started badly at the sound of the letter slot being shut on the front door. Rubbing the back of my head where I'd banged it against the wall; I felt my blood run cold when I saw the single posted envelope on the floor.

With trembling hands, I picked it up. It took me three tries to rip open the envelope.

I didn't want to read it, but felt compelled. Once I was done, nausea washed through me like a contaminated flood. I tried to tell myself that he only continued because he was getting a reaction, but that logical approach was no match against the emotion fluctuating wildly inside me.

"Bella?" Edward called from the back entrance to the house.

I didn't have time to destroy the note before he found it. Hastily shoving it between the wall and the seat, I jumped to my feet.

"Bella?" he entered the room. One look at me prompted Edward to ask, "Are you okay, love?"

I nodded, hoping it didn't look as shaky as it felt.

Edward had stopped just inside the doorway, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at me with light golden eyes. I sucked in a deep breath and held his gaze, challenging him to contradict me. He dropped his arms to his sides with a resigned sigh, capitulating.

What it meant to me, though, was that I was on borrowed time.

* * *

That time ran out two days before the end of the school year. I was in a classroom reviewing papers when the door burst open.

Edward and Carlisle stood in the opening looking like avenging angels. Edward stormed in first, crossing the room in five strides. Carlisle slipped into the room, closing and locking the door behind himself.

I jumped when Edward tossed a crumpled paper on the desk.

"What is this?" he growled, his voice vibrating with anger.

Glancing quickly between them, I realized my time was up. One of them had found the note that I'd scrambled to hide and then promptly forgot about, and shown it to the other. They had read the note and realized it wasn't the first.

"I...I don't know what you mean," I stammered.

Edward braced his hands on the desk and bent low towards me. "Don't lie, love."

Panic welled within me again. I hadn't seen Edward this angry since I'd last sneaked out of the house to go and see Jacob without informing him or anyone else in the family of where I'd gone.

My eyes darted to Carlisle. He stood impassively, arms crossed, at the end of the desk. He was obviously allowing Edward full reign to pull the story from me. Though I was frightened by their discovery of the note, I reluctantly admired their strategy.

Edward slammed his hand down on the paper, flattening it on the desk. "How long have you been getting these? Do you know who is sending them to you? Why haven't you told us about them? What have you done about them?"

I shrank back in the chair. Edward's anger was radiating, a nearly palpable blanket of outrage.

"The notes started about six weeks ago," I allowed timidly. Though it galled me to cower in front of Edward and Carlisle, it was what I had expected I would have to do.

"Then, there was something before," Carlisle said, it wasn't a question.

"Yes," I admitted in a whisper.

They exchanged a look. Usually I envied them for their ability to speak volumes in an exchange of glances, but not now. Both of them slipped around the desk, Carlisle moving behind me and Edward kneeling at my feet. Carlisle's strong hands rested on my shoulders, gently kneading, while Edward took my hands, squeezing lightly.

"Tell us," Edward implored.

Tears glittered in my eyes at the sudden sympathy. Of all the scenarios I'd run through my mind, this wasn't one of them. Their anger, yes; their sympathy, no.

"Bella," Carlisle began, "we can't help you if you don't tell us."

In the face of their earnestness, my reasons for not telling them about my student melted. The justifications I'd made for myself didn't seem to hold weight any longer. In the space of a few seconds I weighed the possibilities of not telling them what had been going on. All fell flat against finally confiding in the two people who loved me most.

"Not in the classroom," I murmured. "I want to go home."

Edward nodded, and then told Carlisle to take me home while he took care of cancelling my classes for the remainder of the day.

Carlisle plied me with tea. Edward arrived while I was drinking my third cup. I suspected Carlisle had laced it with something, but I didn't ask. Carlisle moved further down the couch so he could sit behind me; Edward sat on the end and lifted my legs into his lap.

"Ready to talk?" Edward asked.

I nodded, then sighed.

"It started in October." I felt Carlisle twitch and I sipped at my tea again. "He started by just smiling at me."

"That doesn't sound so bad," Carlisle said. I would have said something had Edward not shot Carlisle a disgusted look.

"It...It wasn't normal," I murmured, taking a sip of the tea. _How do I describe the feeling a woman has when a man is looking at her as if he's taking off her clothes and knows she doesn't want it to happen?_ "He was deliberately making me uncomfortable."

"But you didn't tell anyone?" Edward asked. I shook my head, my hands tightening on the cup. "Go on." I heard the tension in his voice, just as I could feel the tension in Carlisle's body.

"Around the Christmas holidays, he began with the words." A shudder ran through me at the memory of that first time, when I thought I hadn't heard him correctly until I looked up and saw the gleam of malice in his eyes. "He'd apparently seen us together or heard the rumours. When he turned in a paper not long before the break, he whispered, 'Slag,' as he laid it on my desk."

Edward growled, and shook his head.

"When there were still no reprisals, he became more bold." The cup suddenly shattered in my hands. "Oh!" Before I knew what was happening, Edward had gone and returned with two towels. He handed one to Carlisle, who wrapped it around my bleeding hand.

"They're not deep," he said as he tied it tightly. "You'll stop bleeding in a few minutes."

Edward collected the shards of glass and dried off my shirt as best he could. I waited until he returned from the kitchen before continuing. "He continued with the comments, sometimes while turning in work, sometimes as I walked past him."

"And you said nothing?" Carlisle asked.

"What was I going to say?" I demanded indignantly. "I have a student who is mean to me? I would have been laughed at."

"This is more than just being mean, Bella," Carlisle replied softly.

"Was all this why you stopped going to the cafeteria for lunch?" Edward asked.

When I nodded, Edward took my non-bleeding hand in his and squeezed. Using that reassurance to center myself, I took a deep breath before continuing once more. "He cornered me on the way out of the classroom a month ago." With this admission, I began to gnaw on the side of my thumb. I could feel both Edward and Carlisle practically quivering with anger and was amazed by their restraint.

"He...he closed the door." I took several shaky breaths before I could continue; I shut my eyes tight so that I didn't have to see the reprisals or frustration in Edward's eyes. "He cornered me by the door and..."

"And what, Bella?" Edward growled.

"Smiled."

"Smiled?" Carlisle asked.

"Fuck," Edward swore under his breath.

"Smiled. And traced one finger down my cheek."

Both vampires were silent for so long that I opened my eyes. Edward's fists were clenched in his hair as he tried to control himself. Even Carlisle was risking self control given the anger I felt vibrating in him.

"When did the notes start?" Edward asked finally.

"Right after that. At first, they were just additions to his homework. Then he started using the mail."

With deliberate precision, Edward lifted my legs from his lap and stood. He paced the length of the room and back again before whirling on me.

"Have all the notes been like that?" he asked, waving his hand absently at the crumpled paper that began this conversation. It lay innocently on the table.

When I didn't answer, Carlisle rested his chin on my head and wrapped his arms around me.

"Bella?"

"The last one was worse," I whispered, barely audible.

"Where is it?" Carlisle demanded in a tone that brooked no dissention.

"I burned it."

I felt Carlisle take a deep breath, as well as heard the air whistle through narrowed nostrils. The three of us fell silent, though I knew the conversation wasn't over. I hadn't yet decided if I was relieved by telling them about my student; I didn't know if it was a further burden to prevent them from killing the boy or not.

I watched as Edward and Carlisle exchanged another look, then trembled at the look in Edward's eyes.

"Who is he, Bella?"

"Are you going to kill him?"

Edward clenched his fists once again, setting his jaw. Carlisle merely growled.

"I won't tell if you're going to kill him."

"We could find out," Edward said.

"You could, but school ends day the after tomorrow. Could you find out before then?"

They were silent. I knew they wouldn't be able to uncover my student's identity in that short period of time, unless they could somehow pick up his scent.

"We won't harm him," Carlisle finally allowed.

"While he's in school," Edward quickly added.

It was the best I could hope for. "His name is Brad Hiller."

* * *

Edward and Carlisle were true to their word and didn't touch Brad until the middle of summer. They didn't mention him again in my presence, enjoying the fact that I was returning to myself now that Brad had left school.

They felt that 18 was old enough to learn consequences.

Dressed in black from head to toe, they made an imposing pair as they strode down the main street in Forks.

Carlisle opened the door to the dingy cafe, allowing Edward to enter first. Brad had been working there for two weeks. It was a bit too close for comfort for me.

Neither vampire took a seat, preferring to wait until Brad noticed them. Edward took perverse pleasure in watching the blood drain from Brad's face when he took in the sight of Edward and then Carlisle. Edward's mouth turned upward in a dark parody of a smile, enjoying the boy's discomfort.

"I think we have something to discuss," Edward said.

Brad nodded, lifted his chin defiantly and beckoned Edward and Carlisle out a side door.

The door had barely snapped shut before Carlisle had Brad pinned to the wall, a forearm across his neck and his toes barely touching the ground.

"Carlisle and I talked about making you disappear," Edward began coldly. He picked up a metal pipe and crushed it dust in one hand as he spoke. Brad's eyes popped in his eye-sockets.

"It wouldn't be that satisfying, though. I mean, you spent an entire year tormenting Professor Swan. Retribution would not be exacted if I just made you 'disappear'."

Brad made a noise as if to speak. Carlisle merely pressed his arm more tightly across his neck, careful not to strangle him but enough so that Brad couldn't speak.

"We thought about harassing you as you had Professor Swan and decided that that wasn't enough either." Edward smiled darkly and moved towards Brad. Whispering in his ear, "you see, Dr. Cullen here? He's pretty good with plastic surgery. You make one more move at Bella, and he might just make you wish you were born a female."

Brad, who had been turning red, was now white.

Edward took a couple steps backward, "but that's just him. Me? You touch my wife _and I will kill you_."

He turned and Carlisle released Brad, letting him fall to the ground in a heap.


End file.
